Category: 24 Hour Care

We were delighted to host the first ever TechFest65 last week at the Winchester Discovery Centre. The event was exclusively for the over 65s and designed to help them become more confident using modern technology.

The Everycare team welcomed a host of Winchester residents, all eager to learn more about how the use of smartphones, tablets, laptops, social media and apps can revolutionise their lives. Attendees were treated to a number of technology presentations, live demonstrations, along with the opportunity to quiz the experts, with Vodafone and Carphone Warehouse team members on hand, for one-to-one Q&As and demos. The morning also gave attendees the chance to network over tea, coffee and cake.

Mike Frizzell, Managing Director of Everycare (Central Hants), said “TechFest65 was a great opportunity for the older population of Winchester to learn new skills. Getting to grips with new technology isn’t easy but we hope that attendees are now able to go off and demonstrate their newly-founded tech skills to impress their grandkids!”

TechFest65 is already helping the elderly population of Winchester become more tech-savvy. Neil Sackley, BBC Radio Solent presenter, speaks with attendees. Listen below.

For the past year, the team at Everycare Winchester have been working hard to implement a new system that will transform the way we are able to deliver care, for our customers and their friends and family, and after much testing, we’re delighted to announce its official launch.

As the world starts to embrace digital technology in ever more diverse areas of life, overlooking the obvious benefits that new technologies can bring to the care sector would be remiss of us. At the same time, we are passionate believers in there being no substitute for real, face-to-face relationships when providing care. Taking both these points into consideration, we spent a considerable amount of time looking at how we could utilise emerging technologies to supplement and improve our existing service, without undermining the special relationships we have forged with our clients. Pass, created by Everylife Technologies, stood out as a system that will do just that.

Pass‘s ability to create tailored care plans for all our care and live-in care clients is just the start.

The system’s unique array of features will benefit our clients and their loved ones in many different ways, some of which we’ve outlined below:

Customised care plans are created digitally, enabling us to go paperless, thereby reducing the opportunities for error.

Instant medical and health updates are sent to the client and their relatives, ensuring they stay informed and have peace of mind.

Our clients and their relatives can access their tailored care plans online, empowering them to make changes if the need should arise.

Care workers are able to report back to the office real-time with feedback on tasks and activities and make amendments to suit the client’s requirements.

Book visits that fit with our clients’ schedules.

Alerts are sent immediately to management and relatives if visits are behind schedule or have been missed.

Medication is controlled online, enabling us to check that the right medication is being taken, at the right time.

Not only will our implementation of Pass enable us to improve our in-home and live-in care services, but it will also bring significant peace of mind to our clients and their family and friends who care for them.

If you would like to enquire about any of care services for you or a loved one, give us a call and speak to one of our team on 01962 842 548.

When the time comes to look into care for a loved one, you want to be sure that you’re doing it with their best interests in mind. However, if this is something you’ve never experienced before, it can be a nerve-wracking experience; especially with so many myths surrounding the elderly care sector.

It can be hard to know whether what you’re reading is reliable, which is why we’ve put together this blog, where we’ll be dispel some of these myths and giving you the facts you need to know, to give you some peace of mind.

Myth 1: Staff aren’t very well trained

Just like with any other job, there are requirements in terms of skills and training for care home and live-in staff. Your loved one’s care is paramount, and employers understand this too; it’s very unlikely that someone will be hired who isn’t qualified enough. Staff are required to undergo a range of training courses throughout the year and are also given regular opportunities to expand their training and knowledge, to make sure they’re providing the best care possible.

Myth 2: Care homes are the only option

Care homes are a popular route for many; however, there are alternatives. Live-in care for example is becoming increasingly popular and gives your loved one the ability to stay at home, while still being cared for on a 24/7 basis.

Myth 3: Care is too expensive

While care may not be free, there are certain schemes and laws which can help and protect you and your loved ones. Often you and/or your relative will be required to take a ‘means test’ which determines how financially stable you are. People who have a total capital of over £23,500 (this includes things such as savings, pensions and house valuations) are required to pay for care themselves; however, if you or your loved one has less than this you can apply for funding.

Myth 4: Care is not safe

There’s no denying that in recent years there has been quite a lot of negative press surrounding the elderly care sector; however, it’s important to remember that these cases of abuse and neglect are rare. The vast majority of care providers put your loved one’s well-being and safety at the forefront of everything they do. As always, undertake some research, looking into the providers you have shortlisted. Look out for their CQC review.

Myth 5: I won’t be able to visit my loved one as much

One of the biggest concerns people have when putting a loved one into residential care is that they won’t be able to see them often enough; however, with proper planning, this needn’t be an issue. When looking at care homes, look for ones in the local area, which are easily accessible. This way you won’t have to worry about losing quality time with your family member or friend. Live-in care removes this concern entirely. Your loved one can remain in the familiarity and comfort of their own home and live a full and enjoyable life, free to accept visitors as and when they want.

Whilst it’s certainly not an easy experience, choosing care for your loved one doesn’t have to be stressful or complicated. If you would like to have a chat to discuss your situation or would like to discover how our care services can help you and/or your loved one, give Everycare a call on 01962 842548.

When you get to a point where you are struggling to look after yourself at home you may be considering getting help or thinking about residential care or Live-in care but be concerned about what choices there are and not sure how to go about finding out.

We believe at Everycare that we are willing to give you appropriate advice in making a decision about what you need. In this article we give some basic advice but you are more than welcome to give us a call on 01962 842548.

This article is assuming that you are past the point of just needing limited help which can be achieved using daily visits from a carer.

Often people believe that they can turn to relatives or neighbours but so many people are living busy lives and can help out but cannot commit to being available full-time. It can often be stressful looking after relatives or friends, especially when the person doing the caring wants to go on holiday or is being over-stretched by other responsibilities.

People often think that their only choice is to sell up and move into Residential Care but this can feel like a drastic and final move. There is not room in Residential Care to take all your belongings with you and you have to like living by other people’s rules. For some this suits them because there are other people to interact with and the home may have social events to take part in.

The majority of people, though, seem to want to have the option of staying at home as long as possible where they can live by their own rules and have people round whenever they want. This is where Live-in care comes into its own.

Those that are aware of Live-in care often look at the option of finding their own private care worker to look after them, because it can be cheaper. Under the current employment laws it is tricky using the services of a private carer because you are effectively employing them and could be responsible for tax and National Insurance and, even if you are only employing one person, you must offer them a pension scheme.

Private care workers need to have insurance to cover them in case something goes wrong, they will need to have breaks that you would have to find cover for. If the private care worker suddenly got ill you may have a problem getting cover. Private Care workers are not regulated and are therefore, not having to meet any particular standards and there is no oversight of their work.

Everycare Winchester supply Live-in care as a CQC (Care Quality Commission) regulated provider. Be aware that some organisations just introduce the Live-in Care workers and are not regulated, this still leaves you at risk of being in the position of being an employer.

We are unique in comparison to some Live-in care organisations in that we are supplying a local service where we can do hands-on management. As we have already been doing home care for 7 years we can cover Live-in carer breaks and do additional visits if required to deal with more complicated cases.

Please give us a call if you want any advice we are happy to talk to you about the service that we can supply with regard to Live-in care. We are here to help to live a fulfilled life at home for as long as possible.

Everycare do Live-in Care in Hampshire with our office based in the centre of the county in Winchester.